Printing telegraph range adjustment



E. E. KLElNSCHMlDT 2,689,272

PRINTING TELEGRAPH RANGE ADJUSTMENT Sept. 14, 1954 Original Filed Aug. 31, 1950 79 29 76 I jf 73 l 7 Fill? INVENTOR E 0144 20 5. A L El/VSCHM/OT BY M, mqxz m ATTORNEYfi Patented Sept. 14, 1954 PRINTING RAPH RANGE ADJUSTMENT Edward 'E. Kleinschmidt, Miami Beach, Fla.

Origin-a1 application August 31, 1950, Serial No,

D ed and h s appl ation Ap i 11, 1952, Serial No. 281,840

Claims. 1

This invention relates to selecting and printing apparatus for use in telegraph circuits and, more particularly, to apparatus of the type in which the selection of the characters to be printed is controlled by permutation code signals. The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 182,514 for Selecting and Printing Apparatus, filed August 31, 1950.

In such systems the selecting and printing apparatus is actuated under the control of two different line conditions arranged in groups which comprise a code to effect the printing of the character which corresponds to the current grouping or signal transmitted. Such systems are known as start-stop systems because the receiving apparatus is kept in synchronism with the sending apparatus and the incoming line signals 'by starting the receiving apparatus in response to a start signal, in this case a no-current condition, preceding the code group, and stopping it in response to a stop signal or current condition of the line.

As is well-known in the art, under certain line conditions transmitted signals become distorted. It is therefore necessary to provide means for changing the relation of the start time to the operative functioning of the selector cam group. In the past, a stop member adjustably fixed to the frame of the machine and releasable by the operation .of the selecting armature was provided. "It has been found in practice that while this method of changing the time relation between the starting of the scam unit to its selector control operation has been satisfactory where the apparatus is operating at low speed and on circuits with minimum signal distortion, it does not meet the requirement of high speed operation or on circuits where the signals become highly distorted.

After considerable research and study it was found that, by providing a stop member adjustably associated with selector cams and rotating therewith, and a cooperating stationary latch member operable by the selector armature to release the selector cam 'unit for rotation by the operation of the start signal, a more efficient start-stop mechanism is provided and a wider range of orientation is :made possible. In principle, such an arrangement for starting, stopping, and positioning by orientation a selector cam unit with relation to the starting thereof is describedin my U. S. Patent No. 2,192,351, is.- sued March 15, 1940. Inthis disclosure the selector cam :unit is provided with a stop member that 'is adjustable in relation to the selecting 2 cams and releasable by a stationary stop member actuated by the selecting armature. This arrangement provided all the advantages over previous constructions of a start-stop mechanism in that it makes for higher efficiency operation under greater signal distortion as well as high speed operation. While the arrangement shown in my issued patent is satisfactory where circuit conditions do not change over a long period and orientation adjustments, once set, can remain in that fixed position, it was found that when printing telegraph apparatus is operated over circuits where the circuit conditions vary, such as on open line circuits subject to change in weather conditions, it becomes desirable to change orientation adjustment from time to time while the apparatus is operating, and for that reason a means for adjusting the stop member while the machine is operating has been devised and the means for carrying out this requirement is the object of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and from the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to designate similar parts throughout, illustrate the preferred embodiments for the purpose of disclosing the invention. The drawings, however, are not to :be taken in a limiting or restrictive sense since :it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the illustrated construction may be resorted to without in any way exceeding the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the selector end of a printing telegraph apparatus with certain parts omitted to gain clarity;

"Figure 2 is a partial side elevation of the apparatus of Figure 1-; and

Figure 3 is a detail view, partly in section, of a pr f d emb d ment of the orient n 9. range djust ng o the inventionin t e pr sent d scri i n, in orde t ac l wise cro -r. e ae et se the pres t and par nt ap l hesame referen earac- 15 ha e be n vam leyer-' ins far a app icable In he p eferred embod men o m invent on, as l u ted in th rawi gs, o ra n p wer is supp i d y a u le electri mo or (not shown) which ,drives a driving gear 24 (Fig, 1 which in turn drives a train of gears 25 Zt Qand 27 and the gear 28 r espective1y. Gears 2,4 and 2? are loosely mounted on shafts 2-9 and 30 respectively, and tend to rotate said shafts through the friction clutches 32 and 34. Shaft l9 is the stop shaft carrying the selector cams as will be explained; it is rotated by the friction clutch 32 which is pressed against constantly rotating gear 24 by friction disks 35 and 36. Friction disk 35 is fastened to shaft 29 as by a set screw 31, while friction disk 36 is spring pressed by spring 38 as shown to provide friction tension against gear 24 and is connected to shaft 29 by a collar 39 which has a projection engaging a slotted extension of disk 36, as is common in such construction. The collar 39 is secured to the shaft 29 as by a set screw 44. The friction clutch 34 is similar to clutch 32 and is spring pressed in the same manner against constantly rotating gear 21.

Rigidly secured to the shaft 30 at the left end thereof, as viewed in Fig. l, is a gear 45 which drives gear 46 fixed to a sleeve 41 upon which is supported the stop wheel assembly generally indicated at 48. Upon shaft 29 is fixed a selector cam assembly generally indicated at 49 (Fig. 2) which consists of a plurality of cams adapted to cooperate with a plurality of spring-biased selector levers 50 the ends of which are associated with the stop assembly 48. The stop wheel assembly, selector cam assembly and associated levers comprise the selector mechanism which is disclosed in detail in my U. S. Patent No. 2,192,351, issued March 5, 1940, and accordingly will be only briefiy described herein. A stop plate 52 in the cam assembly is provided with an arm 53 to engage a stop lever 54 pivoted upon a stud 55 secured in a side member 56 of the machine frame. A spring 51 secured to side member 56 and lever 54 acts upon the lever to normally hold an upward extension 58 thereof against the end of a shoulder 59 fixed to the armature lever 60 of an electromagnet 6|. The electromagnet BI is supported upon side member 56 by any suitable means and is connected in the conventional manner to a transmitting telegraph circuit by wires 62. In accordance with the present practice of operating this type of telegraph receiver it is normally energized and holds armature lever 60 in the position shown in Figure 2 in which position cam assembly 49 is held against rotation. A spring 63 is secured to armature 60 as shown and an adjusting screw 64 is provided for placing variable tension upon the armature. Adjusting screws 65 and 66 are also provided to limit the extent of movement of the armature 60. The electromagnet 6|, cam assembly 49, stop wheel assembly 48 and related levers comprise the means for selecting the particular type bar or function which it is desired to operate.

As is well-known in the art, a group of startstop permutation code signals by which it is intended to operate this receiver, consists of a start signal. five selecting signals, and a stop signal. The start signal is an interruption in the circuit and the stop signal is a closing of the circuit. The five selecting signals are either current or no-current, depending upon the characters to be selected, as for instance, the letter A consists of two current and three no-current signals. The start signal deenergizes electromagnet 6! which releases armature lever 50 thereby permitting stop lever 54 to release arm 53 on stop plate 52 and permit shaft 29 and cam assembly 49 to rotate with gear 24. Gear 24 is revolved by the motor at a constant speed and in approximate timed relation with the speed of a signal transmitter, not shown. Gear 24 tends to rotate shaft 29 through friction clutch 32 but the shaft is normally held stationary by the arm 53 on stop plate 52 engaging stop lever 54.

When the cam assembly 49 is rotated the plurality of cams successively engage the associated levers '59 to cooperate with armature lever 60 and position the stop wheel assembly 48 in accordance with the code transmitted.

The particular stop wheel assembly 48 (Fig. 2) disclosed herein has thirty-two separate stop positions, including the normal or rest position of the apparatus, and these stop positions are arranged progressively on the stop wheels, there being one stop Wheel for each selector lever 50. The stop wheels 48 coact with a normal stop lever (not shown), a release lever 12 and the selector levers 50 as explained in detail in Patent No. 2,192,351, cited hereinbefore, to enable the selection of the proper type bar.

It is desirable and advantageous in start-stop telegraph systems to provide orienting or range adjusting means to vary the stop or rest position of the cam assembly 49 relative to the sclector levers 50 to compensate for changing line conditions which vary the length and effectiveness of the signal impulses. As is well-known, the mid-portion of the signal impulse is the most effective, and the novel orienting or range finding means disclosed herein enables the operator to set the selector cams 49 in the proper position to operate the selector levers 59 at the exact midportion of the signal impulse while the machine is in operation. The stop plate 52 is loosely mounted on a spirally grooved plunger 13 (Figs. 2 and 3) and has ears 14 which fit into the plunger grooves 15. The selector cam shaft 29 has an enlarged end portion 16 which is hollowed out a shown to receive the plunger 13 and the plunger is fixed to rotate with the shaft 29 by means of a pin Ti which is fixed in the end portion 15 and passes thru a slot 18 in the plunger 13 to permit axial movement thereof. Excessive axial movement of the stop plate 52 is prevented by a cap 79, formed on the end portion 16, which surrounds the upper portion of the stop plate 52 to hold it in place.

The timing relationship between the selector cams 49 and the stop plate 52 is adjusted by altering the angular position of the plate 52 with respect to the cam shaft 29. Increasing the angle between the plate 52 and the cam lobes causes the cams 49 to operate the selector levers 50 later in the cycle. Decreasing the angle causes them to operate earlier. The angular position of the stop plate 52 is adjusted by moving plunger 13 in or out. The plunger 13 i prevented from rotating with respect to the cam shaft 29 by the key or pin ll. Thus, when the plunger 13 is moved axially the helical grooves '15 and ears 14 force the stop plate 52 to rotate. Axial movement of the plunger 13 is controlled by a range adjusting lever 89 pivoted on a stud 82 secured in a projection 84 of the frame member 56. The lower portion 85 of the lever comprises a cam follower which follows a cam fixed to a control shaft 81 to which is secured an adjusting knob (not shown) which may be located at the front instrument panel of the machine convenient to the operator.

If the operator adjusts the control knob so the cam 83 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 the lever 80 will be rotated counterclockwise and force the plunger 13 into the hollow portion of the cam shaft 29. This will cause the stop plate 52 to turn directly, if it is not held, to increase the angle between it and the selector cams 49. If the cam 86 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction the low portion of the 5. cam is presented to the follower 85. If the stop plate 52 is held, as it is for a stop signal, the friction driven rotation of the cam shaft 29 turns the pin Ti and plunger 13 to decrease the angle between the stop plate 52 and the lobes of the cams ii until the plunger '53 again abuts range finder arm til. During the reception of message signals plunger "13 tends to be forced out of the cam shaft 29 against the lever 33 because of the intermittent stopping of the stop plate 52 and the consequent friction drive of the cam shaft 29.

The range finder or orienting adjustment should be made only while the machine is running and receivin repeated RY signals. The knob on the shaft 81 should be turned in one direction until the signals fail and the position noted on a scale (not shown) associated with the knob; and then turned in the opposite direction until the signals again fail, whereupon the knob should be set at the midpoint.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be apparent that the invention embodied herein provides a novel range adjusting or orientation means which allows adjustment between the stop cam and operating cams while the machine is in operation to compensate for changing line conditions. In so doing, the invention enables aocurate machine operation at all times at high rates of speed.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a printing telegraph for converting telegraph signals comprising a code into corresponding mechanical operations, a signal receiving magnet, an armature operated by said magnet, a shaft rotated in timed relation to the received signals, a group of cams mounted on said shaft, means under control of said armature to start and stop the rotation of said group of cams including a stop plate associated with said cams and rotatable therewith, and means operable while the cams and stop plate are rotatin for adjusting the fixed position of said cams with relation to said stop plate.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said adjusting means includes a member coacting with said shaft and said stop plate and reciprocable along the axis of said shaft.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said coacting member is angularly fixed for rotation with said shaft, and said adjusting means includes coacting means between the member and the stop plate to rotate said stop plate relative to said shaft upon axial reciprocation of said member.

4. In a printing telegraph, a signal receiving magnet, an armature operated by said magnet, a shaft rotated in timed relation to the received signals, a group of selecting cams mounted on said shaft, means to start and stop the rotation of said group of cams includin a stop plate controlled by said armature, and a plunger supporting said stop plate and movable axially in said shaft to adjust the fixed position of said stop plate with relation to said selecting cams.

6 1 5. In a printing telegraph, a signal receiving magnet, an armature operated by said magnet, a shaft rotated in timed relation to the received signals, a group of cams mounted in frictional relation on said shaft, means to start and stop the rotation of said group of cams under control of.

said armature including a stop plate arranged to rotate with said cams, a plunger in said shaft for supporting said stop plate and havin a spiral groove therein for cooperating with a portion of said stop plate, and means for moving said plunger axially to rotate said stop plate relative to said cams while the cams and stop plate are.

rotating.

6. In a printing telegraph; a signal receiving magnet; an armature operated in response to signals received by said magnet; a shaft operated in timed relation to the received signals; a group of selecting cams fixed on said shaft; means controlled by said armature to start and stop the rotation of said group of cams including a stop plate rotatable with said cams and a stop lever; a plunger supporting said stop plate and movable axially in said shaft; and means for movin said plunger axially to rotate said stop plate relative to said group of cams while the cams and stop plate are rotatin including a rotatable cam, a cam follower lever positioned by said cam to transmit axial movement to said plunger, and manually operated means to adjustably rotate said cam.

'7. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein said shaft is provided with a bore in one end thereof and said plunger is mounted in said bore by means of a pin and slot connection whereby relative axial movement is permitted between said plunger and shaft but not relative rotational movement.

8. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein said plunger is formed with helica1 grooves therein and said stop plate supported by said plunger is provided with ears coacting with said grooves whereby axial movement of said plunger transmits rotational movement to said stop plate.

9. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein said manually operated means includes a scale whereby the setting of said means may be noted by the operator.

10. A telegraph printer range adjustment comprising, a shaft rotated in timed relation to signals received by said printer, a group of selector elements rotatable with said shaft, a plunger element mounted in said shaft and rotatable therewith, a start-stop element supported by said plunger, and means for moving said plunger axially in said shaft to adjust the fixed position of said start-stop element relative to said selector elements while said shaft is rotating.

11. A telegraph printer range adjustment as defined in claim 10, wherein said plunger is mounted in a bore within one end of said shaft, and means are provided to permit axial but not rotational movement of said plunger relative to said bore.

12. A printing telegraph range adjustment as defined in claim 10, wherein said plunger is formed with helical grooves therein and said start-stop element is formed with means coacting with said helical grooves whereby axial movement of said plunger transmits rotational movement to said start-stop element.

13. A printing telegraph range adjustment as defined in claim 10, wherein said means for axially moving said plunger comprise a cam follower element engaging said plunger, an eccentric cam to position said cam follower element, and manually operated means to adjust the position of said cam.

14. In a selector mechanism for converting telegraph signals comprising a code into corre sponding mechanical operations, a signal receiving magnet, on armature operated by said magnet, a shaft rotated in timed relation to the received signals, a group of cams mounted in frictional relation on said shaft, a group of selector levers operated by said cams under selective control of said armature to mechanically position said levers in accordance with the received signals, means under control of said armature to start and stop th rotation of said group of cams means for receiving and converting electric signals into mechanical movement including; a plurality of selector means rotated as an assembly in timed relationship to the received signals and cooperating with said electro-magnetic means; stop means associated with said assembled selector means and rotatable therewith; a member for coaction with said stop plate to start and stop rotation of said assembled selector means; and means operable while the selector means and stop plate are rotating for adjusting the fixed position of the assembled selector means with relation to said stop plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,811,131 Kleinschmidt June 23, 1931 1,904,164 Morton et a1 Apr. 18, 1933 2,209,998 Noxon et a1. Aug. 6, 1940 2,286,248 Zenner June 16, 1942 2,505,008 Salmond Apr. 2-5, 1950 

